Save Article

Heart Surgeon Brings High-Tech Health Care to the World’s Poor

Dr. Devi Shetty, founder of Narayana Health, has created a new model for health care in the developing world.

Serving as Mother Teresa's personal physician late in her life inspired Dr. Devi Shetty to create an affordable health-care system for the poor. The company he founded, Narayana Health, now operates 32 hospitals across India. (Video/Photo: Eva Tam)

Indian philanthropist and cardiac surgeon Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty is the Chairman of Narayana Health in Bangalore. Born in a small village, Shetty went to school in Bangalore before studying in the UK. After returning to India in 1989, Mother Teresa had a heart attack, and Dr. Shetty was called to operate on her. From then on, he served as her personal physician.

Shetty founded Narayana Health in 2000. He is often called the “Henry Ford” of heart surgery in India. 12 percent of heart surgeries in India are performed by...